Africa | GlobalPost

Volcano tourism in eastern Congo

Jon RosenApril 30, 2010 14:02Updated May 30, 2010 13:31

Where to try pirates: Kenya? US?

Tristan McConnellApril 30, 2010 06:49Updated May 30, 2010 13:31

NAIROBI, Kenya — Nine young Somali men were squeezed into the wood-paneled dock while overhead a ceiling fan battled vainly against the crushing coastal humidity that left judge, lawyers, accused and witness alike sweating in the shabby Kenyan courtroom. The suspects were accused of attempting to hijack the 21,000-ton MV Maria K in May last year.

Togo's voodoo fetish markets do brisk trade

Ken MaguireApril 28, 2010 06:48Updated May 30, 2010 13:31

LOME, Togo — Roman Catholic priest Michel Badagbor can only wonder just how many of his parishoners visit the fetish market, where remedies to block evil spells and "juju" can be bought to ensure prosperity. “We don’t know who goes there and comes here,” he said outside St. Maria Goretti church. “When someone informs me, we call that person. We try to resolve these problems.”

Opinion: Stopping the LRA is not all about Kony

Thierry VircoulonApril 30, 2010 07:51Updated May 30, 2010 13:31

NAIROBI, Kenya — “I just don’t understand why we cannot end this scourge,” said Hillary Clinton in February, dismayed and perplexed at why the Lord’s Resistance Army is still spilling blood on the soil of central Africa. The question troubles many a sympathetic soul.

Opinion: Invest in women to halve Africa's hunger

Nixon OtienoMay 4, 2010 10:01Updated May 30, 2010 13:31

NAIROBI, Kenya — Over 200 million additional people have been pushed into hunger in the past three years as a result of the food and financial crises. The U.N. estimates that some one billion people now go hungry. Empowering women small scale farmers through financial support and technology is key to sustainable agricultural development, and can work towards the Millennium Development Goal of halving hunger by 2015, according to "Fertile Ground" a new report by ActionAid.

Sudan's al-Bashir wins in result set to split country

Tristan McConnellApril 26, 2010 18:07Updated May 30, 2010 13:31

NAIROBI, Kenya — The election victory of Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir, wanted for alleged war crimes committed in Darfur, paves the way for Africa’s largest country to split in two next year. Bashir is claiming a tarnished victory as the polls were marked by glaring flaws noted by observer groups, but Western powers are expected to accept the result.

Sierra Leone boosts infant health care

Kimberly S. Johnson April 27, 2010 06:18Updated May 30, 2010 13:30

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Barack Obama isn’t the only president facing opposition to a new health care plan. Today, to mark Sierra Leone's 49th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain, President Ernest Bai Koroma is launching a free health care program for women and children, but lack of funds and a strike by medical workers at the government hospital, nearly put the initiative in jeopardy.

Opinion: Not just World Malaria Day

Josh RuxinApril 25, 2010 10:58Updated May 30, 2010 13:30

KIGALI, Rwanda — If you’re tapped in to the internet, Twitter, Hollywood, or just generally following what’s happening in the world, there’s little chance you won’t hear of the extraordinary developments in the global fight against malaria.

Five Frames: Best photos of the week

News DeskApril 24, 2010 08:49Updated May 30, 2010 13:30

BOSTON — From GlobalPost's editors, a selection of the best pictures of the week. A man works at an orchard in Vakifli, Turkey, the country's last surviving Armenian village. Read about how, as Armenians stop to reflect on Ottoman-era mass killings today, a survivor quietly moves on. (Nichole Sobecki/GlobalPost)

Opinion: Toilets are not glamorous

Jamal Saghir April 23, 2010 09:25Updated May 30, 2010 13:30

WASHINGTON — Over 800 villagers lined up one day last month to celebrate the installation of a new public toilet in Janadesar, a tiny community in India’s Rajasthan desert. They had reason to celebrate the event, because a toilet is not taken for granted in rural Rajasthan, where only one in eight people has access to one. What is shocking is that this is not unusual. Worldwide, about 2.5 billion people — 40 percent of the global population — do not have access to basic sanitation. Most of those without access live in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.